Navi Mumbai: Man gasses impaired son, then commits suicide

A 41-year-old inspector at the Food and Civil Supplies Department of Maharashtra, allegedly killed his minor, cognitively impaired son, by making him inhale carbon monoxide, and then committed suicide the same way inside his car on Thursday night. As per police, his family said he was disturbed as he had taken his son to various doctors, but there was no improvement.

His family found the bodies and the car near their residence at sector 5 in CBD Belapur around 8.30 am yesterday. According to the police, Mahesh Kumar Pawar told his wife that he was going on a drive with their 14-year-old son, Kaushal, around 8 pm on Thursday. They went in their Maruti Alto car, and did not return home.

His wife, Manshi, tried his number several times at night, but Pawar did not answer the phone. Scared, she went to Belapur police station in the early hours of Friday and registered a missing persons’ case.

She then started searching in their neighbourhood with one of their relatives, and found the bodies inside the car a few yards away from the house. The police have recovered one cylinder of carbon monoxide and a mask from the car.

“Prima facie, it appears that Pawar opened the cylinder inside the car and then put the mask on his son’s face. After his son died inhaling that gas, he put the mask on his face,” said Prashant Khaire, deputy commissioner of police (Zone I).

He planned it“So far no suicide note has been recovered from the car or his residence. We have found his mobile phone that was switched off and the bill of the cylinder inside the car. Pawar had purchased it from a shop in Mumbai on July 2. Primary investigation clears that he was frustrated,” added Khaire.

“We have learnt from his family that Pawar was disturbed as his son was cognitively impaired. He had taken him to several doctors, but there was no improvement in the boy. We think he had been planning this for a long time and finally executed it. Kaushal was the only child of the couple. We have started taking statements of the family and friends and are also waiting for the autopsy report (from NMMC hospital in Vashi),” Khaire said.

Pawar was posted in Sangli before he was transferred to Navi Mumbai in June. He joined his new office at CBD Belapur on June 1 and his family shifted to the city on June 8. They stayed in a rented flat at sector 5.

“We are still to get details about the boy’s schooling when the family was in Sangli. He was yet to join any school in Navi Mumbai,” said P Karad, assistant police inspector from Belapur police station.

“For now, we have registered one accidental death case. After receiving the medical reports we may register a murder case,” said another police officer.